Live Magazine September 2014 Volume 9/2014 | Page 74

preview

HALO 5:
GUARDIANS &
MASTER CHIEF
COLLECTION
Cue the low drone of that famous
Gregorian chorus, the drone rising in
volume as pitch as it morphs into a
chant. Then it happens, the beating
of the drums as those powerful violin
and cello chords spring to life, that’s
right. It’s the sound of a new Halo instalment on the horizon
Slated for release in Spring 2015,
Halo 5: Guardians is the second
instalment in 343 Industries “Reclaimer Saga”, following on from the
events of 2012’s Halo 4. The specific
name of the title was announced at
this year’s E3 event by studio head
Bonnie Ross, as was the “Master
Chief Collection”, consisting of remastered editions of Halo: Combat
Evolved (including 2011’s Anniversary campaign) through to Halo
4. There is something very clever

ligence) by name of Jameson Locke
– who will be a playable character in
the upcoming instalment – has been
tasked by the Arbiter (a Covenant
Elite protagonist who entered the
franchise in Halo 2, for those of you
playing at home) to locate John AKA
Sierra-117 AKA the big chief with
the green helmet… Master Chief.
So while one might easily suggest
that the Master Chief Collection is
a shameless plug for money – to
which you would be right – it would
also be succinct to say that it’s putting the audience in the shoes of
Agent Locke whose task has also
had him review the Master Chief’s
battle history. Touché marketing, touché. It also helps that the events of
the upcoming Halo web series “Halo:
Nightfall”, produced by Ridley Scott,
will be taking place between Halo 4

Master Chief Collection will also receive access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta, which will be
showcasing Halo 5’s frame rate of
60 frames per second and will take
place between December 29th
2014 to January 18th 2015. 343 Industries Creative Director Tom Longo has stated that the beta will contain “7 maps, 3 modes, 11 sandbox
weapons that are going to be included and 7 armour sets that you’ll
be able to customise your Spartan
with.” Meanwhile Executive Producer Josh Holmes has described
the beta by saying “We’re looking at
small maps that are really tailored to
4v4 combat… No one’s gonna have
a different load out than the other
person, which means every member of the red team is gonna be the
same as every member of the blue

“AS THOSE WHO WILL PRE-ORDER THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION
WILL ALSO RECEIVE ACCESS TO THE HALO 5: GUARDIANS
MULTIPLAYER BETA..”
about the forthcoming release of the
Master Chief Collection and its connection to Guardians. Though little is
known about the story for the latter,
the premise that has been revealed
in its campaign trailer is that an
agent of ONI (Office of Naval Intel-

and 5. Not only that, but it will also be
serving as an origin story for Agent
Locke, thereby creating a powerful
lead up to his video game debut.
However the hits just keep on coming, as those who will pre-order the

team” which should provide a very
unique window to fine tune the competitive multiplayer elements of the
game before the full game’s release
in November 2014.

Written by Sean Fox

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com